Sai Sudharsan welcomes lessons from rehabilitation after India-A v Australia-A 'Test' in Puducherry

B. Sai Sudharsan said he found positives in his injury rehabilitation after the third day of the India-A v Australia-A ‘Test’ in Puducherry on September 24, 2026. The 24-year-old returned to score a fifty in the first innings and nearly reached another before being dismissed by Todd Murphy in the second.

Sudharsan missed the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka last month because of a toe injury and used the layoff for rehabilitation and reflection. “It’s not frustrating at all. It’s just the journey we are going through. And our bodies also respond to certain things. We are also refining our habits every day. So, it’s a good thing,” Sudharsan said after the third day of the ‘Test’ between India-A and Australia-A here.

Assessing his comeback with the bat, Sudharsan described the match as a welcome chance to rediscover match rhythm. “It’s a great opportunity to come back and play. When I played on the first day, that’s when I felt how badly I missed that feeling of playing in the middle. So, it was a great opportunity and a good outing as well,” he said.

He outlined his approach on the surface during the game and acknowledged room for better execution. “On wickets like these, it’s important to put the bowlers on the back foot and keep pressing them. So, the options were clear. Maybe the execution could have been better from my side,” Sudharsan said.

Reflecting on the innings as a learning experience, Sudharsan noted the need to convert starts into longer knocks. “But at least, I feel there’s a lot of learning from this game. And obviously, after getting set, maybe I can make it a bigger innings rather than getting out to cheeky shots,” Sudharsan said.

He also spoke about preparation for upcoming national team assignments and how previous foreign tours inform that work. “I feel as professionals, or even with a little bit of experience of what we have played in England or in Australia, it helps us to simulate a certain way and understand what is important, what we have to work on, or what we have to touch base before getting into New Zealand. “And after that series, there is definitely a good amount of time to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” Sudharsan said.

Sudharsan’s immediate path returns to the national team programme with a series in New Zealand followed by a preparation window for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, opportunities he identified as the next stages after this India-A outing.